Protecting her

As Marianne continued to grapple with her conflicted emotions, the days passed in a haze of awkwardness and tension. Each interaction with Felix was clouded by the memory of that stolen kiss, a kiss that seemed to have unraveled the carefully constructed walls she had built around her heart.

"What's wrong with me? I shouldn't be thinking about him! I shouldn't be thinking about that kiss! What we have aren't real after all. You shouldn't be falling in love with a man like him, Marianne," Marianne scolded herself inside her room as she was looking at the mirror, fixing herself before she went out.

Despite her internal struggles, Marianne couldn't escape the growing awareness that her feelings were slipping beyond the bounds of their contractual arrangement. The realization only intensified her frustration. She found herself torn between the rationality of their agreement and the undeniable emotions that had been stirred.

As she went outside, Felix was there standing before her. "Ar